South African police have discovered the body of another woman in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, bringing to 10 the number of women found dead in the municipality over the past two months.
The latest discovery has heightened concerns over violence against women as investigators work to determine whether the deaths are connected.
Police said the semi-naked body was found near a cemetery in Tembisa township on Saturday.
“At this stage, we can only confirm the discovery of the body. Crime scene management and all the necessary role players are currently on the scene,” police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said.
Provincial police chief Tommy Mthombeni said the woman appeared to have been stoned to death, adding that a post-mortem examination would be conducted to establish the exact cause of death.
“We have put highly capable investigators on this case,” Mthombeni told reporters at the scene, assuring that efforts were underway to identify and apprehend those responsible.
The nine other victims were mostly women in their 20s and 30s. Some were reportedly found stripped of their clothes and with signs of sexual assault.
The first victim, a 37-year-old woman, was found naked and bound with cable ties on July 15. A suspect was arrested two days later.
Two other suspects, women aged 31 and 38, were arrested in connection with the ninth victim and charged on Monday. Police said that particular killing may have been linked to a relationship-related dispute.
Authorities have offered a 400,000 rand ($25,000) reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the suspected killer or killers.
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance, the country’s second-largest political party, has also offered an additional $31,000 reward.
The latest deaths have renewed concerns over gender-based violence in South Africa, despite years of government initiatives aimed at addressing the problem and the declaration of gender-based violence as a national disaster.
The South African government said last week that its national Gender-Based Violence Command Centre received 6,782 distress calls between September 1 and 16, averaging 424 calls daily.
The figure represented a 21 per cent increase from the same period in August, when the centre received an average of 350 calls per day.
South Africa, with a population of about 62 million, also continues to record one of the world’s highest murder rates, with more than 60 killings reported on average each day.
